Tunbridge Wells people urged to support National Walking Month

How do you get to work? To school? Or to the local shops? For the vast majority of us, it usually entails a trip in the car or on a form of public transport, particularly given the fairly sprawling nature of Tunbridge Wells, and the fact that many of us commute to London each week.

This May however, national walking organisations are teaming up to urge people across the UK to leave their cars at home and take to the streets as part of the first National Walking Month.

Only 11% of commuters walk to work, with a large majority using their cars instead. A quarter of the population admit that they walk for 20 minutes less than once a year. And over the past couple of decades, the number of children walking to school has fallen sharply. 43% of children are now driven to school despite the fact that the majority of primary school children live within a mile and a half of their school.

Almost a quarter (23%) of the UK's population is already classified as obese. By 2050, this could rise to nearly 60% and cause an economic and health disaster.

Living Streets, the national charity that works to create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets, will be encouraging people to walk with their successful annual initiatives, Walk to Work Week (09 - 13 May) and Walk to School Week (16 - 20 May).

Do read about National Walking Month, and how you could make a small change to your lifestyle which could boost the overall health of Tunbridge Wells for the better. How much do you walk each day? Could you (or would you like to) walk more?